Steam Locomotive S542 Bakewell - East Perth, WA - October 12th, 2025

Hope you enjoy! Source: http://www.australiansteam.com/S542.htm S 542 built by the West Australian Government Railways at their Midland Workshops in 1943, being the second of ten members the S-class freight locomotives of the 4-8-2 “Mountain” wheel arrangement. The S-class were the first locomotive type to be designed and built in Western Australia. The S-class carried the names of Western Australian mountains and S 542 received the name “Bakewell” in WAGR service. Its construction had been delayed by wartime material shortages, and interestingly was constructed at about the same time as the ASG Garratts. The S-class locomotives received a number of modifications to the steam inlet, regulator and superheater design (among other changes) early in their lives, in order to improve operability. One of the more visible consequences of these modifications was the shortening of the boiler-top cowling from full length to only half of the boiler length. A number of the original low-sided tenders were also rebuilt to a high-sided design, which increased water capacity at the expense of coal capacity.